The air forces of four Nordic countries agreed to operate their roughly 250 fighter jets as one fleet, laying “the foundation for a single Nordic air defense.”
The air force commanders of Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark signed a declaration of intent on March 16 on deeper cooperation, according to statements by the Finnish and Danish forces.
The combined fleet of the four Nordic countries will have roughly 250 fighter jets at its disposal and will be the largest among the Western allies in Europe after Russia which has around 770 aircraft, according to the Global Fire Power Index.
“The ultimate goal is to be able to operate seamlessly together as one force by developing a Nordic concept for joint air operations based on already known NATO methodology,” the statement published by the Danish defense ministry.
“The sum of these efforts will enable a holistic approach to air forces in the Nordic countries,” the statement reads, adding that “the Nordic Response and Arctic Challenge Exercise will be used as milestones for the joint efforts.”
Finland’s air force commander Brigadier General Pasi Jokinen said that move to unite forces of Nordic countries “is an important step towards strengthening our common security.”
The move to integrate the air forces was activated due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year, according to the commander of the Danish air force, Major General Jan Dam.
“Our combined fleet can be compared to a large European country,” Dam said.
Finland and Sweden are not officially NATO members yet. Both applied to join NATO in May 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but their applications have been held up by Turkey and Hungary, who are yet to ratify the memberships.
Nordic air force fleet
- Norway has 57 F-16 fighter jets and 37 F-35 fighter jets with 15 more of the latter on order.
- Finland has 62 F/A-18 Hornet jets and 64 F-35s on order.
- Denmark has 58 F-16s and 27 F-35s on order.
- Sweden has more than 90 Gripens jets.